#riverkeepers

[monarch-moon]

More character designs for the Ryuutama campaign I'm in. We have a new version of Roneku here, an artisan, but then there's the two new characters: Riverkeeper, a mute woman with an ancient sea turtle companion who, well...keeps the rivers. And Meemaw, the Ao-Ryuu/Azure Dragon Ryuujin who doubles as the caravan leader.

We always appreciate grandmas in this house, as well as muscular characters with great arms~

[swilkas]

This is the second book I've read where Pete Seeger plays a direct role in convincing the author to pursue environmental

[spokanefavs]

#EarthDay River Cleanup 10-1 p.m. Saturday at High Bridge Park. Last year volunteers removed 4,900 pounds of litter from Hangman Creek and the #spokane River.

Spokane Riverkeeper

#climatecrisis#events#community

[deepwaterwritingprompts]

Text: When my mother dies, I inherit her Riverkeeper’s clothes. Dresses made of water, poured over ones head out of special bottles, they allow me to walk the water without upsetting any spirits.

[fatehbaz]

Why should low-carbon projects be permitted to destroy legendary Native American sacred sites? Yakama elders witnessed the construction of The Dalles Dam that flooded and silenced Celilo Falls on the Columbia River. Since time immemorial, Celilo Falls was one of history’s great marketplaces. Multiple tribes had permanent villages near the falls. Thousands of people gathered annually to trade, feast, and participate in games and religious ceremonies over millennia. During spring, this natural monument surged up to 10 times the amount of water that passes over Niagara Falls today.

What must Indigenous people continue to sacrifice for energy development? The Seattle Times editorial board recently announced support for the Goldendale pumped-storage hydroelectric project to benefit the state’s clean-energy portfolio [“Goldendale energy project can help meet state’s clean-energy needs,” Sept. 2, Opinion]. The board constructed an alternate reality where tribal nations could find common ground with the developer and resolve objections to project construction. The board wrote, “A compromise that would allow the project to go forward while respecting tribal concerns would be a benefit for all.” The board ignores the realities of Native American history and the history of this project, which the Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakama Nation (Yakama Nation) have objected to from the initial development proposal at this site.

The project site is situated on Pushpum — a sacred site to the Yakama Nation, a place where there is an abundance of traditional foods and medicines. The developer’s footprint proposes excavation and trenching over identified Indigenous Traditional Cultural Properties, historic and archaeological resources and access to exercise ceremonial practices and treaty-gathering rights.

Notably, the project site covers the ancestral village site of the Willa-witz-pum Band and the Yakama fishing site called As’num, where Yakama tribal fishermen continue to practice their treaty-fishing rights.

Yakama Nation opposes the development. The developer proposes two, approximately 60-acre reservoirs and associated energy infrastructure within the Columbia Hills near the John Day Dam and an existing wind turbine complex. The majority of the nearly 700 acre site is undeveloped; the lower reservoir would be located on a portion of the former Columbia Gorge Aluminum smelter site. The tribe’s treaty-reserved right to exercise gathering, fishing, ceremony and passing of traditions in the area of the proposed project has existed since time immemorial. The tribe studied mitigation; it is impossible at this site.

Columbia Riverkeeper, and more than a dozen other nonprofits, stand in solidarity with Yakama Nation and oppose the development: The climate crisis does not absolve our moral and ethical responsibilities. Both tribal nations and environmental organizations have worked tirelessly to stop fossil fuel developments and secure monumental climate legislation in the Pacific Northwest. But we refuse to support a sacrifice zone to destroy Native American cultural and sacred sites in the name of combating climate change.

Environmental justice is on the line with the pumped-storage development. Seventeen tribal leaders sent a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee, urging him to reject development permits. The leaders explained, “Our ancestors signed Treaties with the United States, often under threat of violence and death, in exchange for our ancestral lands and sacred places. Through these treaties, we retain the rights to practice and live in our traditional ways in these places. Yet, the promises made by the government have been broken time and time again.”

Earlier this year, the Washington State Office of Equity, located within the governor’s office, released the state’s inaugural five-year Washington State Pro-Equity Anti-Racism Plan & Playbook. Gov. Inslee stated, “We will no longer replicate and reinforce systems, processes and behaviors that lead to inequities and disparities among various communities.” Now is the time to apply the playbook to climate change and energy siting.

There is no room for compromise. The choice is stark: Continue to advance our nation’s and state’s history of sacrificing Indigenous resources through broken promises, or work with tribes committed to tackling the climate crisis while, at the same time, protecting the last remaining sacred sites.

---

Text by: Jeremy Takala and Lauren Goldberg. “Stop sacrificing Indigenous sacred sites in the name of climate change.” The Seattle Times. 25 September 2022.

[stickyfrogs]

Tonight we joined the Frog Census at Lollipop Creek with Melbourne Water and the Werribee Riverkeeper Association!

We met Two Beautiful Pobblebonks and two Common Eastern Froglets with their Superb Jackets of Camouflage!

[queerpyracy]

A mother doe, flanked by a fawn still in spots, bounds through belly-deep sage at the foot of Lalíik, colonially known as Rattlesnake Mountain. At 3,600 feet, Lalíik is the tallest treeless mountain in the Lower 48. For thousands of years, it’s been a place of ceremony and sustenance for families now enrolled with the Nez Perce Tribe, the Wanapum Band of Priest Rapids, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. “For whatever reason, people try to shorten our time in this land,” said Emily Washines (Yakama), board president of the environmental nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper. “They say, ‘Well, you weren’t here when the Missoula floods happened.’ And we know that we were here because that’s the mountain that we went to when there was water.” Lalíik means “land above the water” in Ichishkíin.

The mountain presides over an elbow of the mid-Columbia River in Washington, where today the basin’s largest remaining population of fall chinook salmon spawn. The landscape is largely intact and sheltered from development — but not because of environmental laws, conservation groups or Indigenous management. It has been closed off since 1943, when the occupying government seized 580 square miles and, in a matter of months, built experimental war machines that poisoned the ground so badly it’s now the most contaminated nuclear site in the Western Hemisphere. This is the Hanford site.

[Continue Reading]

[blackpearlblast]

adding to list of indigenous causes to support on this day and every other. columbia riverkeeper, protecting the columbia river.

add your voice:

donate:

share with family and friends!

[femmesandhoney]

spotted some kids doing a lemonade stand so me and my aunts walked over and the cups were free and a recommended $1 payment/donation for milwaukee riverkeepers which is so cool of those parents to teach their kids to fundraise for a good cause instead of just "lets teach money management" (if they weren't lying, but they seemed knowledgeable about the org when we asked so hopefully our few dollars of lemonade and donation go to a good cause 🤞)

[eggtrolls]

park stuff calendar:

March 9th: cancel pine bark order from Home Depot ASAP

March 10th - CANCELLED: weekly maintenance at horribly degraded wetland (HDW); bring sharps container for needles

March 11th - email boat club people about boat-based trash removal in the future and logistics for non-members

March 12th - 9:30 meeting with J.S.#3 about seed project and possible mugwort eradication March 12th - get 2023 budget from C.W. March 12th - community board parks subcommittee meeting at 6, take notes; follow-up item: confirm the deadline for bringing up Earth Day Festival as item at April meeting (3rd Thursday of every month) March 14th - HDW clean up with J.S.#3 and his dyke assistant March 14th - remove the wineberry in daffodil patch by the stairs March 14th - Earth Day Festival committee meeting at 6:30

March 15th - text JLS about adding earth day event to Parks calendar (confirm with Fucking Chris about when this should happen) March 15th - PFP GRANT IS DUE March 15th - unpack Home Depot deliveries and repot AWC cohort 1 seedlings

March 16th - riverside clean-up with boat club people March 16th - walk-through with J.S.#2 at the restoration creek project March 16th - remove Atlantic white cedar seeds from fridge and plant (3:2:1.5 peat:vermiculite:perlite with the slow-release fertilizer (it's in the foyer closet on the shelf and smells weird) + transplant cohort 1 (measure and record heights), same mix [source, Derby et al. (2004)]

March 17th - weekly maintenance at HDW

March 18th - text J.L.S. about getting parks committee chair email; soft pitch my concerns about park land use to her + include Patch article from 2021 March 18th - ask J.S.#2 about Army Corp of Engineers survey results (from 2023?)

March 20th - Riverkeeper orientation at 5:30 March 20th - deadline to email chair of community board parks committee to add what I think is illegal land use to the next board meeting agenda (incorporate lack of public feedback & Army Corps of Engineers report on sea level rise)

[March 21-March 26 - vacation; no weekly maintenance at HDW; morning pruning of wineberry at Shittier Park (bring bags for removal and double-glove) or follow-up on mulberry tree pruning

March 22nd: pick up seed mix from Autistic Seth or designate one of the SC to do it]

March 27th - watch Riverkeeper Sweep orientation recording on zoom & email Frances March 27th - repot Ursa Major & Ursa Minor March 27th - bother Dan (ICC) about boat plantings; bother Jana about beach plum locations March 27th - email Compost Lady from RSC March 28th - call with JS#1 at 9 am about wetland meeting; discuss the seed-sowing project for EDF March 28th - email JS#1 the seed invoice and species list from Autistic Seth March 28th - steering committee meeting at 6:30

March 29th - call with Rachel from comedically evil non-profit at 5:30 March 29th - return of J.S.#3 and his dyke assistant Paloma to HDW

March 30th - weekly maintenance at HDW

March 31st - community gardening day with the slightly cult-y Orthodox Jewish community group (to do: reach out to other group members to see if anyone wants to join in; double check that email didn't bounce back or if there's a better email)

April 7th - weekly maintenance in park

April 9th - community board meeting at 6:30 April 9th - email Bennett Park people

April 11th - sculpture reception, 9 am April 11th - private call with commissioners 1&2, 2pm April 11th - email CB committee head April 11th - email state senator's office

April 14th - weekly maintenance at HDW

April 15th - call with CB committee head, 6pm RESCHEDULED

April 18th - update on AWC cohort status April 18th - call with CB committee head and Evil Ryan, 3 pm RESCHEDULED

April 19th - pick up giant map from Staples

April 20th (ugh) - Earth Day Festival (HAT AND SUNSCREEN AND WATER BOTTLE) + make @roycohn attend under pain of death; wake up 7 am

April 21st - weekly maintenance at HDW or help B.S. with her site plantings in Bronx

April 22nd - actually Earth Day. also Pesach April 22nd - email compost lady

April 25th - steering committee meeting and EDF post-mortem

April 27th - tentative date for visiting compost site at RPC

April 28th - monthly check for cohort 1 heights

May 4th - Riversweep with boat club people

May 25th - clean up in Rockaway

general to-do list w/o fixed date:

talk to Unfriendly Caitlin or B.S. about the Japanese pagoda trees in Shittier Park and a possible transplant

ask Beth about making flyer for EDF (English and Spanish)

ask Unfriendly Caitlin about info on native bees that hibernate in grasses during the winter; ask Fucking C for the marsh groundskeeper guy's contact info to discuss future grass clearing and ideally make them stop it.

talk to bagel place guy and trump supporter Tom about donations and whatnot

email J.S.#2 about setting up private event for plant dividing in April (post-EDF)

email A (she/they) at RPC about compost visit on 4/27

email J.S#1 about plans for mugwort removal on Earth Day, signage, using the seed mix as cover crop, and beyond

email NutraSweet about discussion of mugwort with J.S.#3

email New York Metropolitan Flora survey about incidence of river cane

urban ecologist program at NYBG

get actual sharps containers for EDF clean-up at work (possibly boat club people have extras we can use either way I'm not paying for this shit)

ask super for my spare hand pruners back

place order from Prairie Moon once AWC cohort 2 starts sprouting

email A.R. (nursery) about group volunteering in exchange for a bunch of plants (deadline [self-imposed] is March 15th)

email J.S.#1 about wetland management goals based on call with S.H.

email J.S.#1 about DEC tidal wetlands permit

follow-up email to J.S.#3 about seed project + email fucking Seth if he doesn't get back to me about the mix

identify actual trail edges that can be cleared and planted + look up if hand rake would be useful

email N.H. at BRA about testing soil samples and if there's a cost/limit (update: NONE; ask NutraSweet to drop off in her car);- discuss results with J.S.#2 and how to incorporate into wetland management plan with J.S.#1

follow up with J.S.#2 about clearing the canal, which I hate

ask M.S. or R.K. about landscape architect stuff re: boardwalk design for wetland management plan

text B.S. about tree delivery from JBHS nursery

start looking for other grants once PFP is submitted

look into seed collection techniques and seed-sharing resources in mid-Atlantic/New England

--- Cohort 1 notes: on 3/15/24, 4 of the Cohort 1 AWC seedlings were planted in 3 pots: Gemini (two together), Atlas, and Pipsqueak in the Derby (2004) medium with a sprinkle of Osmocote + original medium from cones. Heights were 14.5 cm & 6 cm (Gemini), 12 cm (Atlas), and 10 cm (Pipsqueak). Pending them not dying immediately and/or showing signs of significant growth, the remaining seedlings will be repotted. Target height prior to planting is 36 cm. Repotting showed a shallower root system than expected, needs a wider container than cone or should be replanted sooner.

3/17/24 update: might be a coincidence but Pipsqueak and Atlas are already showing new growth (crown and branches, respectively). no changes from Gemini. among the un-repotted, Ursa Minor has some browning at the crown - might need to transplant soon than later, or perhaps burning from too much sun? will rotate and see if this improves. unsure how I will separate Gemini/Ursa Major and Minor when the time comes :/

3/20/24 - separated Gemini into two pots due to lack of immediate growth/improvement shown in Atlas and Pipsqueak. Concern about browning on Ursa Minor, may attempt to divide soon. Potted Hajime and Tagalong to use up the extra medium.

3/28/24 - Potted Ursa Minor and Ursa Major (without Osmocote). Atlas and Pipsqueak continue to show the most improvement. Tagalong has started to show some new growth; less from Hajime. Gemini 1 has started showing new radial growth with a hint of crown growth from Gemini 2. Added layer of compost to all C1 after morning watering

Heights updates:

Pipsqueak - 12.5 cm

Atlas - 13.0 cm

Gemini 1 - 14.5 cm

Gemini 2 - ~6 cm (note: crown is bent)

Hajime - 13.8 cm

Tagalong - 11.0 cm

Ursa Minor - 6.7 cm (note: browning on crown might affect future vertical growth)

Ursa Major - 18.3 cm

4/9/24 - noticed some burning on Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, likely due to the shitty addition of Osmocote. stirred soil and repotted. likely that Ursa Minor is not going to make it.

Cohort 2 notes: on 3/17/24, 105 seeds were planted for Cohort 2 in the Derby (2004) medium with the Osmocote. seeds were floated (77 floated, 28 didn't float) and grouped by float status, divided into 28 cones (on average 4 seeds to each cone), planted, and additional medium spread on top ~1/4 cm. some of the original medium from Cohort 1 was used in cones where Derby medium was insufficient. all cones were watered at approximately 12:00 with 2 tsp of distilled water.

3/20/24 - no growth so far. continuing with 2 tsp water daily (morning). May try dividing into 1 tsp morning, 1 tsp evening.

3/28/24 - no growth so far. continuing with 2 tsp water daily (morning). will switch to divided watering for a sample after 30 days.

4/11/24 - FIRST SEEDLING OF COHORT 2 UP

4/18/24 - cohort 2 notes: one seedling still in cap, one with two leaves out and third budding (both in row 4FR). I didn't record the time for the first seedlings of cohort 1 to come up so this is a total craps shoot. switched back to 1 tsp of water (mornings) because of concerns of overwatering leading to bugs.

[nottobehornyonthemain]

Not usually one to do this, but here’s a petition I would encourage any of you who’s interested to read and sign. It has to do with the proposed breaching of the Snake River Dams.

For those of you who are not familiar, four different damn along the southern Snake River, that runs through Washington and Oregon, have made it almost impossible for the local salmon population to reach their breeding grounds and reproduce, which is devastating for a lot of different reasons, and this is something that members of the Yakama nation have been trying to fight for literal decades, but salmon from that river are the primary food source for southern resident orcas, which, are very likely to completely die out, and getting those damns out of the way and the salmon population back on track would be a really big deal in helping to recover the species. The Biden administration actually made really good progress on this late last year, but you know it’s August now.

For anyone looking for a more complete view of the argument, here are the arguments against breaching the damns as compiled by the northwest river partners group, which primarily focuses on the benefits the dams have on Hydro power and cleaner energy

https://nwriverpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BPA-Snake-Dams-Fact-Sheet-2016.pdf

Anyway, long post but it’s like, my one big thing. As always support for PBS is provided by viewers like you.

[oc-smashorpass]

When I sat down to draw him for the first time, I accidentally made a boy so pretty that he rolled over into being a lesbian. He is extremely loyal and passionate about being a good knight and a good person. Enjoys whittling, dogs, cold apple slices, and not having a single goddamn thought in his head at all times. He loves you personally.

In his setting, fairies have biological castes like bees, and he's a Knight that's supposed to be 7 feet tall and absolutely ripped. Unfortunately, he's 5'6, his antlers are really small, and he has the disposition of a labrador retriever, so most people are kind of mean to him except for the Prince that he guards with his life. They're aroacespec lesbians together but he still calls them "my liege", no matter how many times they tell him to stop.

oc by @handinlovablehand !

[thoughtportal]

Water is essential for life, but how much do you know about the health of your local water supply? In this special episode, we speak with two Riverkeepers who explain the importance of water quality monitoring for every living organism, from humans to birds. John Lipscomb shares critical history of the Hudson River and how activism has helped the neighborhood thrive. And John Zaktansky introduces us to Doug Fessler and the technology of BirdNET for his hi-tech patrol. Co-produced by our guest host, Trisha Mukherjee. Tune in!

For more information about the From Love to Action campaign, episode transcript and other resources from this episode, visit BirdNote.org.

[chrisbannor]

Elements of Change

Chapter Forty-Eight: Jacob's Mark

Author: Chris Bannor

The cavern was small, but Ezo remembered that the path widened a few feet past the first bend. The light faded quickly, but Ezo felt Kammon working magic behind him, and soon the way was lit. Kammon handed him a lit torch, and Ezo took it and began forward again.

The walls pressed in, and Ezo was about to doubt his memory when he turned a corner in the pathway, and it opened up into a large cavern. Three separate tunnels branched out from there.

“I can’t believe I never found this,” Remec said softly. “I’ve been exploring the caves since I was a kid.”

“Someone wanted to make sure this place was a secret. Whatever Jacob was hiding, it was set here for a reason,” Kammon said.

Ezo looked at the three entrances. He remembered taking one as a child, so he knew the rightmost tunnel held nothing special. He ran his fingers over each stone, but he still didn’t know which direction to take.

“Ezo, look.”

Ezo had been so focused on the entrance of the tunnels that he hadn’t looked past it. Kammon pointed to a small mark a few feet away. There was a faint glint when he looked where Kammon indicated, but as he got closer, he saw a circle engraved into the stone with an owl in the center and a moon behind its head.

“Jacob’s mark,” Ezo said, tracing his fingers over the edges.

“And yours,” Kammon reminded him.

“This has to be it,” Remec said as he moved to stand behind them.

Ezo nodded as he stepped down the long tunnel. There were parts where the tunnel grew so tight he thought he might have to widen it himself to get through. Kammon was grumbling behind them about the height of the cavern, and Ezo wanted to tease him that being short had its advantages, but he bit his tongue. He was too nervous about whatever was at the end of their adventure.

He felt the source of the magic before he saw the end of the tunnel. As he closed the distance, he felt a small thrill as he approached a door. There was no lock and no knob to open it.

“How are we supposed to open that?” Remec asked.

“The corners,” Kammon pointed to the door’s edges, where the symbols of water and earth were carved into the wood.

It was just like Riverkeep. Ezo pressed his hands to the symbols and released a small stream of water and earth magic into the corresponding marks.

At first, nothing seemed to happen, but as Ezo waited, he noticed a small sliver of light coming from underneath the door. A moment later, it began to grind open. He stepped back and had to close his eyes as bright light filled the tunnel.

When Ezo could finally see, he stepped through the door. He stopped when a hand wrapped around his wrist.

“Ezo, you don’t know what’s down there,” Kammon cautioned him.

“It’s alright, Kammon. I think I know exactly what’s down there.”

Kammon’s brow furrowed, but he dropped Ezo’s arm. Before Ezo could say anything, Kammon rushed before him. Ezo stumbled after him with Remec right behind them.

Kammon stopped abruptly, and Ezo bumped into him. He was about to complain, but then his eyes adjusted enough to see what they had stepped into.

Light flickered into the room from a dozen small sun lights. Some seemed to be direct sunlight, while others were directed through tunnels and mirrors. A large desk dominated the room, and a shelf of books sat behind it. To the left was another shelf full of artifacts Ezo was itching to look at. To the right was a long hallway, and he turned toward it before the others realized he was moving.

“Ezo?”

He stopped, but not because of the voice that called his name. When he reached the hallway, a word had been carved into the mantle above it.

“Mountainkeep.”

Author's Note: Mountainkeep? Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it? Will it be what Ezo thinks it is? If you want to read ahead, extra chapters are available on my subscription page at www.reamstories.com/chrisbannor

[beardedmrbean]

ATLANTA (AP) — The ex-wife of R&B singer Usher is calling to drain Georgia's largest lake, where her son was fatally injured 11 years ago.

Fashion designer Tameka Foster has collected more than 2,500 signatures for her online petition imploring officials to “drain, clean, and restore” Lake Sidney Lanier, to allow for safety improvements and the removal of hazardous debris and other obstructions.

Kile Glover, her 11-year-old son with Bounce TV founder Ryan Glover, died in July 2012 after a personal watercraft struck the boy as he floated in an inner tube on the lake.

“Draining, cleaning, and restoring Lake Lanier is not only necessary but also an opportunity to honor the memory of those who have lost their lives and prevent further tragedies,” Foster wrote in her change.org petition, which she has also promoted on her Instagram page.

Located roughly an hour's drive northeast of Atlanta, Lake Lanier covers nearly 60 square miles (155 square kilometers) and has waters up to 160 feet (49 meters) deep. It's far from just a getaway for millions of boaters, anglers and other yearly visitors.

The lake provides drinking water for about 5 million people, according to the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper conservation group. And Buford Dam at the lake's southern end generates hydroelectric power for the metro Atlanta area.

The Army Corps of Engineers constructed Lake Lanier in the 1950s. The Corps' district office in Mobile, Alabama, which still operates the lake, did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment Thursday.

Heavy traffic on the lake has resulted in hundreds of boat collisions in the past three decades, according the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The agency reported more than 170 boating and drowning deaths between 1994 and 2018.

Foster and Usher married in 2007 and divorced two years later.

[gaiborbianca]

Waterkeeper Alliance. (1999)

The Waterkeeper Alliance is an international grassroots organization (and also a movement for water conservation) created by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that has the objective of protecting and preserving water resources around the world.

Throughout 1999 there was a fundamental event with the water, it has been the Cochabamba Water War that happened in Bolivia. The problem was born thanks to the privatization of the Cochabamba water system and the water supply by tunari waters.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. founded the Waterkeeper Alliance in 1999 with a set of environmental activists to defend and conserve internationally water resources. It tracks its roots to the Hudson water flow in New York, where a set of fishermen formed the Riverkeeper organization in 1983.

The organization is a network of more than 350 Waterkeeper companies, which are independent teams that work to defend river roads in their respective zones and it was essential to advocate for clean water policies, make the laws of the environment and hold the pollutants of their activities.

The Waterkeeper Alliance have helped to preserve and protect water while they provide clean, healthy and abundant water for all people and the planet. Which demonstrates that this movement wants to conserve water but at the same time they want it to be accessible for all the people around the world.

The Waterkeeper Alliance is one very helpful tool that ensures water safety, conserves internationally water resources, the accessibility of it and fights to protect everyone’s right to clean water.